Oh, Dr. Dworkin, You’ve Always Exercised….

Yes, perhaps I’ve always tried to maintain some sort of fitness level. But, an extraordinary medical report from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit has recently been published that solidifies what physicians have known for over 20 years: there is an absolutely positive relationship between physical fitness and lower risk for virtually all causes of death.

The Henry Ford Fitness Institute has clearly proven that not only do both men and women equally benefit from improving their fitness level (as measured on a treadmill) but this improvement in health and subsequent longevity is not necessarily due to the fact that these patients were always the “fit and healthy types”. This study illustrates that the SAME benefit in reducing all causes of death was achieved if someone in their 50s, who was not physically fit, began to seriously improve their fitness level over a several year period.

The reduction in all causes of death from just improving physical fitness was 40%.

There is no vaccine, screening test, operation, drug or safety measure like seatbelts that has even come close to achieving this type of benefit.

Think about that.

With all the recommendations you hear about what to eat and not eat, what tests to take, what drugs or supplements to take….nothing is more beneficial to the health and longevity of Americans than improving one’s physical fitness. Nothing.